Bins, recycling and the 10c container refund in Sydney

Household waste collection is a council service, and the colour of the bin lid tells you what goes inside. In the City of Sydney:

• Yellow lid: recycling.
• Red lid: general rubbish that goes to landfill.
• Maroon lid: food scraps, for households that take part in the food scraps recycling service.
• Green lid: garden organics, available free on request for a fortnightly collection.

In NSW you can also get money back for empty drink containers: the Return and Earn scheme pays 10c for each eligible bottle, can or carton returned at a return point.

The yellow recycling bin

The City of Sydney accepts items such as plastic food containers (but no black plastic and no polystyrene trays), empty plastic containers from cleaning and bathroom products, and cardboard, including egg cartons and empty or oily pizza boxes with the food scraps removed. Flatten large boxes. If the bin contains items that are not accepted, the council may not collect it.

Food scraps

Where the service operates, collect food scraps in a kitchen caddy (one per household from the council, or any container with a lid) lined with a compostable bag or newspaper, then put the wrapped scraps in the maroon-lid bin. It is collected weekly from houses and twice a week from apartment buildings; put it out for every collection, even if it is not full.

Bulky items

City of Sydney residents can book a free pick-up for furniture and bulky household items. Write your booking number on a note attached to the items so neighbours know it is an official collection. Items in good condition can instead go to reuse services such as the council's doorstep recycling.

Bin services, collection days and accepted items can differ between councils, so if you live outside the City of Sydney, check your own council's waste pages. In apartment buildings, bins are usually in a shared storage area, and a building manager or booking contact may handle bin collections and bulky item bookings.